GI Bill Benefit Cap Increased for California Veterans

In a move that will be welcomed by veterans throughout the state, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has upped the maximum tuition benefit available to California veterans under the new, Post-9/11 GI Bill. The cap had been set at zero due to a trick of semantics: Because the maximum benefit amounts are tied to public, undergraduate, resident tuition and fee rates in a state, and because California public colleges don't charge "tuition" but, rather, "fees" (tuition by another name), the maximum tuition benefit for California veterans had been set at zero (the maximum fee benefit was correspondingly generous, but of limited use to veterans hoping to apply their benefits toward tuition at a private university). The VA has adjusted the cap so that California veterans are now eligible for up to $287 per credit hour toward their tuition, and up to $2,165.25 per term toward their fees.